Will continue giving befitting reply: Army vice chief on ceasefire violation by Pak

New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI): India will continue to give a "befitting reply" and its action will speak for itself, the Army's vice chief said today, a day after four of its personnel were killed in heavy shelling by Pakistan along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistani Army has been supporting infiltration by terrorists along the border, Army Vice Chief Sarath Chand said.

"We will continue with our process of giving a befitting reply," he told reporters.

"(Our) action will speak for itself," Chand added in response to a question on yesterday's incident.

Four Army personnel, including a 22-year-old captain, were killed yesterday in the Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control in Poonch and Rajouri districts.

Ceasefire violations will cost Pakistan dearly, says Ahir: Meanwhile, according to a PTI report, Union minister Hansraj Ahir condemned the firing across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, in which four Indian soldiers were killed, saying it shall "cost Pakistan dearly".

"Pakistan has been violating ceasefire along the LoC. And this year the number of ceasefire violations are high," the Minister of State for Home Affairs said.

"Yesterday (Sunday) also, they again violated ceasefire. We will not forgive Pakistan's actions," Ahir told reporters here ahead of Parliament's Budget Session. "The ceasefire violations would prove to be Pakistan's foolishness and will cost them dearly," he added.

On Sunday, four Indian soldiers were killed and four other persons were injured in the firing in Rajouri and Poonch districts. The killed soldiers included Captain Kapil Kundu, who would have celebrated his 23rd birthday on February 10. Hailing from Haryana's Gurugram, he is survived by his mother Sunita.

The others were Riflemen Ramavatar, 27, from Baraka village in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, besides Subham Singh, 23, from Kathua and Havilder Roshan Lal, 43, from Samba in Jammu and Kashmir.